Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EC) No 3290/94 on the adjustments and transitional arrangements required in the agricultural sector in order to implement the agreements concluded during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations
Date: 1997-06-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: GATT, Uruguay Round, agricultural product, preferential agreement, trade agreement

COMMISSION  OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  11.06.1997 
COM(97) 291 final 

Proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL  REGULATION  (EC) 

amending  Regulation (EC) No 3290/94 on the adjustments and transitional  arrangements 

required in the agricultural  sector in order to implement the agreements concluded during 

the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations 

(presented  by  the  Commission) 

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The  Community's  undertakings  in  the  agricultural  sector  under  the  Uruguay  Round 
negotiations  were  essentially  implemented  by  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 3290/94. 
Article 3 of the original version of that Regulation provided that the Commission,  acting 
according to the management  committee  procedure, may, up to 30 June  1996, adopt the 
measures  necessary  to  facilitate  the  switch-over  from  the  old  to  the  new  arrangements 
and  that  these  measures  may  not  apply  beyond  that  date.  Council  Regulation  (EC) No 
1193/96  extended  the  period  of  application  of  the  Commission's  power  to  take 
transitional measures until 30 June  1997. The Commission has used that power to ensure 
a smooth  transition to the arrangements  introduced  as a result  of the  Uruguay  Round  in 
the  common  market  organisations  concerned.  It  also  used  Article  3  to  ensure  that  the 
undertakings entered into by the Community in certain preferential  agreements with third 
countries 
the  Lomé  Convention,  association  agreements  with 
Mediterranean  countries,  etc.)  were  respected  pending  the  adjustment  of  those 
agreements to the results of the Uruguay  Round negotiations. Some of those  agreements 
are currently  being adjusted,  but the process  is unlikely  to be completed  before  30 June 
1997, so the purpose  of this draft  Regulation  is to propose that the Council  extend  by a 
further  year the period during which the Commission may adopt transitional measures. 

(for  example, 

- 2-

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 

/97 

of 

1997 

amending Regulation (EC) No 3290/94 on the adjustments  and transitional arrangements 
required in the agricultural sector in order to implement the agreements concluded during 
the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having  regard  to  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 3290/94  of  22 December  1994  on  the 
adjustments  and  transitional  arrangements  required  in the agricultural  sector  in  order  to 
implement  the  agreements  concluded  during  the  Uruguay  Round  of  multilateral  trade 
negotiations1, and in particular Article 3(2) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 

Whereas Article  3 of Regulation  (EC) No 3290/94, as amended  by Regulation  (EC) No 
1193/96,  authorises  the  Commission  to  adopt  the  measures  required  to  facilitate  the 
switch-over  from  the  arrangements  existing  before  implementation  of the results  of the 
Uruguay  Round  negotiations  to  those  resulting  from  the  adjustments  to  agricultural 
legislation provided  for in the above-mentioned  Regulation; whereas such measures may 
only  be  adopted  up  to  30 June  1997  and  may  not  apply  beyond  that  date;  whereas  it 
transpires  that  certain  matters  which  are  currently  regulated  by  transitional  measures 
cannot  be  settled  definitively  before  the  above  date;  whereas  these  matters  concern  in 
particular  certain  arrangements  entered  into with third  countries; whereas  it  is  therefore 
necessary  to  extend  by  one  year  the  period  during  which  the  Commission  may  adopt 
transitional measures, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

OJ No L 349, 31.12.1994, p.  105. Regulation amended by Regulation (EC) No  1193/96 (OJ No L 
161, 29.6.1996, p. 1). 

Article 1 

The period  laid down in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 3290/94  is hereby  extended 
to 30 June 1998. 

Article 2 

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal 
of the European Communities. 

It shall apply from  1  July 1997. 

This  Regulation  shall  be  binding  in  its  entirety  and  directly  applicable  in  all  Member 
States. 

Done at 

», 

; 1997 

For the Council 

The President 

4-

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(97) 291  final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

03 

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Catalogue  number  :  CB-CO-97-281-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-21220-2 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European Communities 

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